The recognition ceremony was held in Dubai, and attended by Commissioner Ali Al Kaabi, Head of the Federal Customs Authority, Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Chairman and CEO of DP World and Chairman of Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation, Mohammed Buossaiba, Director General of the Federal Customs Authority, Ahmed Mahboob Musabih, Dubai Customs Director, and high-level government officials.

The AEO programme successfully took off and continues to be implemented across the UAE under the aegis of the Federal Customs Authority, FCA. The new economic scheme follows the directives of Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, towards boosting the performance of the UAE’s foreign trade to better secure the UAE’s post-oil future.

Commissioner Ali Al Kaabi, who opened the ceremony, hailed the UAE's healthy non-oil foreign trade, saying that statistics show a striking over fourfold growth of 458 percent in 12 years going up from AED190 billion in 2003 to AED1.06 trillion in 2015. He pointed out that in order to handle the challenges rising from the growth in trade activity, the country invested heavily in human and technological resources.

The AEO programme is the latest in a series of systems and programmes adopted by the customs administrations in the UAE, and it is one of the provisions of the WTO Agreement on Trade Facilitation, that was ratified recently by the UAE, becoming the first Arab state to do so, he added.

Bin Sulayem also spoke at the ceremony, acclaiming the great role assumed by the FCA as a key partner in the AEO programme's implementation, and thanked the companies who joined in the successful pilot phase.

"The AEO programme is in line with World Customs Organisation’s principals to facilitate trade through secured supply chain, and in line also with the leading government projects happening in the UAE with the aim to stay on top of latest customer service excellence trends. The programme will further set the UAE at the centre of the global trade network and boost the country’s ranking on world competitiveness index, being now one of 63 countries worldwide that have implemented the programme."

"Certified AEOs will enjoy global market access through Mutual Recognition Agreements. It is predicted that customs transactions delivered through the programme will account for 50 percent of all customs transactions by 2020. That would be a significant added value for the country’s preparations, especially in Dubai, to host Expo 2020," he added.

Speaking on behalf of Dubai Customs, Ahmed Mahboob Musabih, said that the AEO programme is in harmony with the ambitious vision for the UAE to be one of the best countries in the world by 2021.